Cord-braiding machine.



F. THUN.

CORD BBAIDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 116.12.1905.

898,938. Patented sept 15, 11908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET. 1`

P. THUN.-

` A com) BR-MDING MACHINE. APJPLICATIONKIILSD AUG. l2. 1905..

Patented Sept 15, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2;

@mime/o UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEroE. FERDINAND ATHUN, or wYoinssING,PENNsYLvAiAi, AssiGNoR To TEXTILE-MACBINE WORKS, or wroMrssrNG, PENNsYLvAN-IA, A conronATioN or rENNsYLvAnI/c/ citizen of the United States, residing in lVyomissing, Berks county, Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful l1n` .provements in Cord-Braidin Machines, of

vide for continuously forming a braid a nately around and free of a continuous corev which the following is a speci cation.

My invention relates particularly to the manufacture of exible electric conductors, such as telephone-cords in which the wire or wires form the cores of an inclosing braiding fol-a p ortion of their length and are freed from the braiding for another portion of their length.

The main object of my invention is to proteror cores without taking out or disturbing the core, and further to provide for making the successive alternate empty braid portions of greater length if desired than the corresponding freed core portion, so as to produce a continuous cord consisting of a continuous core alternately' inclosed in a continuous braiding and free therefrom and with the empty portion of the braidim7 of greater length than the corresponding iii-ee core portion so that when cut mto separate cords a braided terminal tie-cord will be provided of greater length than the free terminal core.

ln the accompanying drawings illustrating my invention Figure 1 represents a known form of telephone cord having the terminal ortions of two conductors freed from the braid inclosing their main portion and such braid continued independently of the free core terminal to form a tie-cord of greater length than said core terminals. F ig. 2 is a diagram view showing my continuously formed plural-cord product before being cut to form separate cords indicated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammaticplan w iew of a braiding mechanism adapted to make such a product as above described, and Fig. 4 is an elevation of the same looking in the direction of the arrow 4, but showing the switch-cam and take-cti' mechanisms in different positions for clearness of illustration. Fig. 5 indicates a continuous single-conductor'cord as produced on my improved machine.

Heretoforf telephone cords having tiebraid extensions of the braidcdcore covering, such as indicated in Fig. 1, have been made by Amanipulating the core pieces by haid so as to move the terminal 'portions specification of Letters Patent."

Application 'led August 12, 1905. Serial N el 273,850. l

Patented Sept. 16, 1908.

. thereof from the'braid forming axis while the em ty tie-braid was bein formed.` This method)of production evident y requires constant attention instead of heilig automatic and continuous asprovided for by my invention. i In the mechanism indicated 1 and 2 represent the usual top and bottom plates of a braiding machine, between which are mount'- engage and traverse a series of bobbin carriers guided in intersecting serpentine raceways formed in the top plate. The eneral construction and operation of this c ass of\.

ed a circular series of drive-gears arranged to machines being wel known'only such parts im thereof as -are required to be shown and def scribed in order to make clear the application of my unprovements thereto, will be particularly referred to.

As indicated in Fig. 3 the intersecting ser- 75Y pentine race-ways are arranged so as to form dilferenttubular courses for the carriers, a main course being provided in the usual outer series of. intersecting racc-circles, and what may be termed a cut-out carrier course being 80 formed by providing an inner series of intersecting race-circles, marked 3, 4, and 5 respectively, on the portion of the figure to one side of the center c of the machine and duplicated at 3", 4", and 5*, as shown, on the 85 other side of said center. This inner series of intersecting racecircles is grouped around a vertical guide-way 6 through the top and bottom plates, which guidemny is provided for the passage of a continuous core 7 as heregr) after described; and they connect bothwith` the main race-circles 9, 9, which are common to both courses, and with the main race-circles 8, 8, which vare exclusively outer course circles, so that by lproviding suitable switches 9 10 and 11 adapte( to properly direct the carriers, the latter may be caused either to take the main outer course or to be diverted into the cut-out or inner course through the race- A The ellect of this novel circles 3, 4, and 5. arrangement of alternate courses, in connection with the core guide-way 6, is to enable the carriers to be passed either outside of or inside of a core 7 so as to form a continuous braid alternately inclosing and lying to one to the braiding, no

I center so that the braid may be formed either 30, These cam Wheels may be adjustably searound or to the side of said cores according as the carriers are traversinfr the main course or the cut-out course as already described. The braid, as formed, and the cores 7 sheathed thereby or unsheatlied as the case maybe, pass over the take-off wheel 16 as sho'n, the latter being suitably driven as desire and 1l*L as shown in Fig. 3, are operated as `indicated by levers 20 pivoted at 21'and having their lower ends 22 connected by rods 23 to a rotatably mounted disk or plate 24 onthe bottom p ate 2 of t-he machine, said disk being in turn connected by suit-able rods to arnis 27 on the switch axes'28, so that the respective switches will be turned to'rightly direct the carriersl as determined by' tlie properly timed movement of the' respective levers 20. The movements of the latter, as shown, are controlled by a pair of cam disks or wheels 30 mounted on a rotary shaft 3l, each of said cam wheels being provided with properly' spaced eripheral notches 33 and 33 which are a( apted to permit the inward inoyement of the contacting portions of the levers by the action of spi-ings 34, only when said notches are turned into position toreceive the projections 35 on said levers.

cured to the shaft 31 and the latter is rotated in any convenient manner with the carrier driving Gears, through a worm shaft 32 and intermediate gears 36, 37, 3S, and 39, as shown; the double-gear 38-39 being preferably changeably mounted upon an adustable arm 41 so as to permit the relative s eed of rotation of the cam wheels 30 to be' c ianged for varying the lengths of the cords.

To provide, as previously mentioned, for making the sections of empty braid which connect the integral core-sheathing sections, of greater length than the unsheatlied portions of the core which form the connecting terminals of the separated cords in telephone service, I employ means for changing the relative take-ofi` of the empty-braid portions. As indicated in Fig. 4 this purpose is eiiected by, a su plementarytake-oii cam 45 operatively connected to the switch mechanism so as to operate in unison therewith; the take-off cam 45 being arranged to pressy the empty-braid sections of the cord laterally during their formation to supplement the main take off 16, and to be out of action dui'- ing the formation of the braid aroundr the core.

By means of the improved braiding mechanism thus described and illustrated it will be seen that a lurality of telephone cords or the like ma e automatically produced in continuous engths or strips, the continuous `core or cores being alternately covered by the The switches 10 and 1l, and duplicates l-Ot continuous fabric or fre-e from the. latter, and the empty port-ions of said continuous fabric being of equal or' greater length'as desired than the free core portions; so that such coritiiiuoiiscord may be cut to forni separate cords with terminal cores amitie-braids as lmaybe desired. The travel ofthe bobbin carriers successively in the inain outer course and in the cut-out or inner course, whereby the braiding is alternately efiected around the core or cores 7 and free ofthe latter, is

automatically controlled as desired by theY switch-operating mechanism; and the length of the empty braid sections relative 'to tie free core portions is varied as desired by for such empty-braid sections.

so means of t ie additional take-off 45 provided ln a slightly modified mechanism the duplicate eut-out race-circles 3a 4 and 5a are omitted, the fplural cores if desired being passed throng one passage-way, without material change in the operation or product. Fig. 5 illustrates a single-conductor cord made in accordance with my invention; such cord as shown corresponding with the core cord 7 employed in duplicate in Figs. 1 and 2, but. having the continuous braided fabric free from the wireat intervals, for a short distance, so as to permit the attaching of the terminal-points c'to theivire without stripping off a portion of the braided covering as ieretofore required.

Other inodiiications may be readily made without departing from the spirit of my in vention.

What I claim is 1. A tubular braiding machine for telephone cords or the like having a main carrier course, a cut-out carrier course comprising a series of three or more additional race-circles the end ones only of which cormect with the main course, a guide way for a continuous core cord located bet-Ween said additional race-circles and the main carrier course, and switches at the connected race-circles substantially as set forth.

2. A tubular braiding machine for telephone cords or the like having a main carrier course, a cut-out carrier course comprising separate series of three or more additional race-circles, the end circles only of eac-h of said series being connected with the main course, guidewa s for separate continuous core cords locate respectively between each series of additional race-circles and the main course, and switches at the connected racecircles, substantially as set forth. I

3i. A tubular braiding machine for'telephone cords or the like having a main carrier course and a' core cut-out carrier course a guide way for a continuous core cord located outside of said cut-out course switches for 'diverting the carriers at intervals from one to the other of said courses to forni alternate core-covering braid port-ions and emptybraid portions, md dilerential take-ofi mechanism for seid portions whereby excess lengths of the em ity braid portions are produced substantially as set forth.

4. A tubular braiding machine for telephone cords cr the like having e. mein estrrier course ond n core cut-out carrier course, a guide wey outside of seid eut-out course, switches for divertingr the carriers et intervals from one to the other of seid courses to form alternate corecovering braid portions and emptybraid portions, e. mem take-oil, n supplementary take-oil 'for the empty-braid p0rtions, end means for throwing seid su )plee mentary take-oil into action as required.

5. A tubular braiding machine for tele-A for a continuous core cord located phone cords or the like having a mein carriercourse and e. core eut-out carrier course i guide wey for@ continuous core cord located switch outside of saiit-'outmeoursepa mechanism for diverting;r the carriers' from one to the other of said courses to form alternate core-covering braid portions and empty braid portions, a mein take-ofi, and a. supplementary take-ofi for the empty braid ortions operatively connected to said switch meehanism.

1n testimony whereof, I elli); my signature, in the `presence of two witnesses.

FERDNAND THUN.

Vitnesses:

D. M. STEWART, W. G.' STEWART. 

